The Union are changing up their playing style, and Jim Curtin wants to see more of it

CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. — Though the lack of broadcasts for MLS preseason games this year has left everyone without much to watch, Union fans have needed to see only the team’s lineup graphics on social media to know big changes are afoot.

As the last few scrimmages have showed, the team now exhibits a renewed willingness to dial up a varied range of tactical formations. Along with the usual diamond-midfield 4-4-2, last Sunday’s 2-0 win over New England saw the Union roll out a 5-3-2 and a 4-3-2-1 at various times.

It’s a welcome sight and a necessary one. Manager Jim Curtin knows that while the 4-4-2 is well-honed and effective, it’s good to not be too predictable. Varying the tactics also helps spread playing time among more players, which matters in a 50-plus game year.

“Formations, for me, are simply starting points for players,” Curtin said. “Whether you’re 10 yards further up the field or 10 yards to the left or right shouldn’t really matter.”

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The defensive variation between a three- and four-back line is the first key, and not just because the defense comes first when reading a formation. The number of centerbacks on the field makes a big difference, because it affects how the outside backs work.

A four-back setup means two centerbacks and two outside backs. A three-back setup means three centerbacks plus two outside backs, which can make a 5-3-2 look like a 3-5-2 when a team is attacking. Then a team varies its number of midfielders, and its number of forwards.

Curtin has been experimenting in the midfield too, helped by the additions of Andrés Perea and Joaquín Torres and the improvement of backup Jesús Bueno.

“We have, I’ll say, our deepest midfield we’ve ever had — that’s pretty clear,” Curtin said “We’re going to need that freshness. But whether you play a five-man midfield, a diamond midfield, two 6′s [defensive midfielders] and two 10′s [attacking midfielders] … it’s our job as a staff to bring the players’ strengths out and hide our weaknesses.”

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Over time, going from a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-2-2 to a 3-4-2-1 to a 4-2-3-1 is less relevant than the results the players produce. There’s an entire cottage industry for soccer tacticians out there, from books to video games, and Curtin is happy to cut right through it. He’s never been shy about saying that formations matter more on paper than they do on the field.

He said it again Thursday, for good measure: “Regardless of our formation, as long as we play by the principles with the personnel that we have, those formations are just semantics.”

The Union’s next scrimmage is Friday at noon against FC Cincinnati in Clearwater. There’s no broadcast, but it’s open to the public to attend in person. The teams will play for 120 minutes so that everyone involved can get 60 minutes on the field.

“The Philadelphia Union, we are pro-streaming everything,” Curtin said. “But sometimes the opponents aren’t and sometimes, you know, the league doesn’t want them out there.”

That was an allusion to reports that Apple is standing in the way of teams broadcasting preseason scrimmages. Several sources have said the same thing, though the league hasn’t said it officially. It also doesn’t help that most scrimmages are played on practice fields where it’s hard to set up quality cameras.

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Curtin offered a little more detail about the departure of centerback prospect Abasa Aremeyaw after Wednesday’s initial announcement. The knee problem Aremeyaw dealt with dated back to last year, and as it turned out, he never got on the field for the Union even in practice. Between that and some personal matters, the team and player parted ways.

“I never got to work with him outside of the first introduction and meeting him in Philly,” Curtin said. “He was never able to kick a ball with the team. Unfortunately, that happens sometimes in sports. We’ve moved on from it, and we wish him the best in the future.”

So the Union now have four centerbacks instead of five: Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Damion Lowe, and Brandan Craig. We’ll see if they move for a new fifth.

Curtin acknowledged that the Union tried to land Josh Wynder, a promising 17-year-old on second-tier Louisville City with U.S. youth team experience, but didn’t succeed.

“It’s not a position right now where I think we need to actively go out and add another,” Curtin said. “I’m pretty comfortable with that [remaining] stable of four guys. Always got to stay healthy, though.”

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Curtin also reflected on goalkeeper Matt Freese’s move to New York City FC after four years as Andre Blake’s backup.

“Sometimes it gets to a point where I can’t continue to tell him to just be patient,” Curtin said. “I felt guilty every time I’d say it to him each year. … Of course winning is priority number one, but there is a human element in doing the right thing for a kid.”

Anyone who has ever watched a video produced by the Union’s creative staff, or listened to the music on the public address system at Subaru Park, has come across Carl Mandell’s work. The team’s vice president of broadcast and entertainment has been with the Union from their first season in 2010 in a variety of roles. Mandell has also worked on the Eagles’ in-stadium music team for a while.

The Union’s home opener on Feb. 25 will be Mandell’s last game in town. He’s leaving to take a job with the other football, working for the Houston Texans. Curtin took a moment Thursday to thank his longtime colleague.

“He’s done incredible work for the Philadelphia Union,” Curtin said. “We wish him the best.”

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